Coming Home for the Sixth Time
by dmcorbell
Summary: Harry and the gang go back to Hogwarts for their sixth year, but in this situation how can things not have changed. Spoilers
1. Chapter One

Author's Note: Hello to all of my readers who have read some of my other stories from different categories and a jolly _hullo_ to all of you Harry Potter fans! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate) and wish you all a very happy New Year. This Harry Potter fanfic. will take place after the fifth book, so be warned of **SPOILERS**! Also know (if you become confused in the future) the updated looks that Alfonso (the director of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) gave the students at Hogwarts (new clothes and easier dress code about uniforms) will be used in this fic. I own nothing of Harry Potter. (P.s. aren't you happy Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is due out July 16, 2005!)

Harry looked out the window of his room that sat in a house on Privet Drive. A low sigh came from deep within his throat, a sigh that was meant to release all of his frustration and anger towards the family who kept him prisoner there. But Harry had to admit that this summer had not been his worst with the Dursleys. He had telephone privileges, but no one to call. He was able to go outside, but rarely did in fear that Vernon would lock the door behind him. Hermione and Ron wrote him numerous letters, and it appeared they were once again in the same place (the Weasley's home).

"Boy!" Uncle Vernon shouted from the bottom of the stairs, "We're leaving!"

"I don't care," Harry mumbled.

"We'll be back around eleven tonight!" Aunt Petunia shouted.

"Okay, now you're depressing me."

"Your doors unlocked! Dudley shouted.

"Oh, you're gonna kill me."

Slowly but surely Harry heard the Dursley's car start and leave.

Five minutes later Harry heard a loud crack and a huge crash. A huge smiled appeared on Harry's lips. Only second after that he heard a roar come from the fireplace. By that time though Harry had swung open the door of his room and looked down the stairs.

"Oh, goodness, Tonks. I can't believe that you apparated into one of Petunia's cupboards. It looks as if you've broken a lot of good china," came a familiar voice.

"Well, it looks as if they've all left. Do we just sit and wait for Harry to get home?"

"I suppose so, " Hermione answered.

Harry rushed into his room and pulled on a shirt, then proceeded to run down the stairs.

"Tonks, Hermione, what are you two doing here?" Harry asked trying to sound casual and not so excited he was unsure whether or not he had wet himself.

"Well, it's only a week and a half until you guys go back to school so Mrs. Weasley sent us here to rescue-erm, pick you up..." Tonks said smiling mischievously.

"Do I need to pack my-,"

"Accio trunk!" Tonks shouted, pointing her wand in the direction of Harry's room. Hermione screamed and shoved both of them to the ground as a very heavy trunk busted through the wall right in front of them and proceeded to fly straight towards them. Harry heard his trunk fall heavily behind him and stood up, opening the trunk to see all of his belongings properly stored away and ready to leave.

"Tonks!" Hermione shouted, standing up and dusting herself off.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Oh goodness. Well, Locomotor!" she shouted pointing her wand at the trunk. It began floating as Tonks looked back at the two teenagers, "Well, you two take the floo powder network, and I'll apparate with this trunk. See you there." There was a loud crack and Tonks and the heavy trunk was gone.

" I thought the floo powder network was still being watched," Harry questioned as Hermione pulled him into the fireplace with her.

"They are. Fudge is getting ready to step down, so they're watching them even more."

"So why are we going this way?"

"Dumbledore created an illegal network for the Order to use."

"Wouldn't they expect that?"

"Not from Dumbledore," Hermione replied smiling slyly.

Where to now?" Harry asked curiously.

Hermione flung the floo powder down creating a green flame and shouted, "Weasley Headquarters!"

"Each place is followed by the word 'Headquarters'. The places you can go through this network is limited because it can only be used to go from places that people from the Order would need to go. It's so secret it only responds to certain voices," Hermione explained as they flew past fireplaces.

As Harry flew out of the Weasley's fireplace he managed to land right atop of Ginny Weasley.

"I'm so sorry," he groaned as he began to get up, but he was only answered by Ginny's giggles.

"No problem Harry, there's always people flying in and out now," Ginny said, fighting off her giggles.

"Harry!" Fred and George shouted in unison, "so good to see you!"

"Oh dear, Harry, are you alright?" Mrs. Weasley shrieked pulling him completely to his feet.

Suddenly Tonks apparated right in front of him, his trunk landing right atop Crookshanks' tail.

"Tonks!" Hermione shrieked, grabbing a hysterical Crookshanks from the trunk.

Harry just stood back and let the familiarity of the scenes surround him with a smile on his face.


	2. Chapter Two

**Author's Note: Let me start by saying if you read the first chapter and didn't like it please do not go any farther than this sentence. I will give you no reason to flame me now, because I have already warned you. I do not own Harry Potter! (July 16th seems so far away, no?)**

**At nine o'clock that night Harry could be found staring into space in front of the Weasley's fireplace. Nobody was up, or so it seemed. But a young red head girl was quietly making her way down the stairs. **

**"Goodness!" Ginny gasped, for she had not expected anyone to be up and was startled by Harry's presence. **

**"Sorry," Harry apologized, "I can't sleep." **

**"Well, Ginny said taking her wand out from the back of her pajama pants, giving it a swift wave, "grab a mug of cocoa," she began as a tray with two fresh cups of the substance floated into the room, "and I'll tell you what I know."**

**Ginny softly dropped down on the cushiony chair that was opposite of Harry's, her face glowing due to the fireplace light. Harry suddenly thought of his mother, and how much Ginny looked like her, but the thought flew from his mind the instant she began talking.**

**"I suppose I should tell you everything?" she asked, pulling her feet under her so that she was sitting up straight. **

**"Yeah," he said softly, unsure of his own tone. **

**" Tonks is going to be over at Hogwarts, training for-get this- Defense Against the Dark Arts," she said with a girlish giggle, " Dumbledore is reinstating the D.A., so Tonks will be over that. Fudge is deadly upset because he can't keep Sir-…" Ginny froze, looking away from Harry, her hair covering her face. **

**"I'm sorry Harry," she whispered. **

**The mere mention of Sirius' name had caused Harry to give a small gasp, which had cut Ginny off.**

**"I'm so sorry," she whispered, "I really shouldn't be up this late. Oh, goodness, I-I think I'll go back up before Hermione comes looking for me, I don't want to worry her, I mean-,"**

**"Ginny, you don't have to leave," Harry said, his throat tightening. **

**Ginny's eyes glistened with tears.**

**"I never meant to bring him up. It was a simple mistake…"**

**Harry stood up from his chair and walked over to Ginny, who hurriedly wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest as she wept. Harry buried his own face in her ginger hair, silent tears falling from his eyes…**

**He woke up the next morning on the oversized couch with his arms wrapped around Ginny's small form. Right in his face were Fred and George, huge grins on their face. **

**"No," Harry said groggily, "you're wrong…whatever you're thinking…you're wrong…"**

**"So if we thought nothing happened we would be wrong?" Fred asked, his smile growing bigger. **

**"Even though we assume that in the moment right now it sure looks like something happened…" George commented. **

**Ron had just walked down the stairs with Hermione following him. At first sight of Harry and Ginny he immediately turned back around and began walking back up the stairs mumbling, "I don't even want to know…"**

**Ginny's eyes fluttered open, and in seeing her brother and the feeling of Harry right beside her she jumped up, her face turning as dark a shade of red as her face. **

**"She's only a fifth year!" Fred whispered as Ginny ran up the stairs in total embarrassment. **

**"Do you really think that…that…_that_ happened?" Harry asked, taking in a huge breath of air.**

**"No, of course not," George said smiling, "we just had to make sure you were being honest. I mean, Ginny…she's our sister."**

**"Yeah, we won't take any chances," Fred agreed. **

**"She was really upset last night," Harry said sitting up and noticing the two full mugs of cold cocoa, "I don't know what got into her."**

**"She's been upset about Sir-…" **

**"I know…she mentioned Sirius last night and she got frantic to leave…"**

**"Mum has made us swear not to bring him up," Fred whispered. Harry became outraged.**

**"What am I? Caution when handled or something? Why can't you talk about Sirius? Do you think it's better for me to hold this all inside and not tell a soul about what's going on in my head? I'll tell you what's going on in my head! I WANT TO BE DEAD! THE ONLY THING WORTH LIVING FOR WAS TAKEN AWAY FROM ME AND I CAN'T EVEN TALK ABOUT IT WITHOUT SOMEONE BACKING AWAY FROM ME! I WISH THAT SOMEONE WOULD JUST SIT UP AND TAKE MY PAIN ON FULL FORCE, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I'M HAVING TO DO! AND IF NOBODY HERE IS WILLING TO ENDURE MY EMOTIONS RIGHT NOW, I CAN LEAVE…I-I…" tears had come to Harry eyes, and he could say nothing more to Fred and George Weasley's dumbstruck faces. He turned and fled to his room, his only security was the lock on his door. **

**Harry heard a quiet, "alohamora," whispered and his door slowly opened. Ron stepped inside and shut the door behind him. He sat on the bed opposite of Harry and stared at him for a long while. Then he lowered his own head and let his tears fall onto his dirty jeans. **

**Then Hermione entered the room, sitting by Ron. She stared at her hands, then at Ron, and then at Harry. **

**"This hurts," she whispered. Ron looked up and wrapped one arm around her shoulder, gave her a sad smile, and let go of her. **

**Harry looked out the window as the three of them continued to sit in silence. And for a second he could hear Luna's voice in the wind whispering, "They're just behind the veil…" **

**(Okay, kinda dramatic but I just wanted to show you in this chapter how much those three depend on each other in this story, and how close I'm trying to show they are…you'll understand it later in the chapter…)**


	3. Chapter Three

**The air rushed all around Harry as he flew through the air, Ginny beside him, and Ron far behind. **

**"You remember Luna, right Harry?" Ginny yelled, though her voice was barely audible.**

**"Yes," Harry replied, pulling his Quidditch goggles down so that he could see more clearly. Ginny did the same. **

**"She has a theory about how Sirius went through the veil. She thinks it has something to do with being willing to go. And if you're not willing to go…well, her theory is a bit off, but she thinks Sirius will find a way to come back and visit you…Would you have anything directly connected to him?" Ginny yelled, swerving as a bludger flew past her. The two looked down at the ground to see Fred and George laughing madly as they reenacted how Ginny had responded to their joke. **

**Harry only paid attention for a few seconds. He wondered whether or not to tell Ginny about the mirror, whether or not to tell her about everything he felt and knew. They flew once more around the Weasley's house until he was sure that they had lost Ron and motioned for her to pull off and land. **

**"So you do have something connected to him," Ginny said, jumping off her broom so quickly it hadn't even landed. She continued to tear off her goggles and jacket, until finally she was seated on the ground. Only then did she realize she had left Harry in mid-air, who was staring down at her as if she were crazy. Slowly though, he landed. **

**"So," Ginny began, tossing her ginger hair to one side as picking at the grass, "what is it that you have?"**

**"I have this mirror that he gave me. Sirius told me that my dad and him would use these mirrors to communicate when they were separated for detention. I have one mirror, and I suppose Sirius had the other one on him when he…died…" Harry grew silent. He was beginning to get use to the word, but he noticed that Ginny shifted uncomfortably. **

**"Have you figured out what exactly the veil is?" Ginny asked Harry, who was staring at the sky as if uncertain about something.**

**"There's…there's this prophecy…and this prophecy is about me…and Voldemort…It says that we'll fight…and one cannot live while the other survives…So either I be murdered or I be the murderer…" Harry's voice drifted off, still staring at the sky.**

**"Oh my gosh," Ginny whispered, "Does Ron and Hermione know about this?"**

**"No," Harry said, "I wont tell them. I don't think they could handle it…"**

**"So why tell me?" Ginny asked, nervously shifting around.**

**"Because…Ginny…you know what it's like to be at the hands of Voldemort…sometimes you're not even sure who's hands your in…and when the person who is supposed to save you comes…it's so hard to trust that they'll get you out of the mess…I trust Ron and Hermione…it's not like they wouldn't do anything for me…but…"**

**"That's the case, isn't it?"**

**"Yes, if I were at my death, I know one of them would jump in front of the deadly hex or take it on themselves. Like-like Sirius did…"**

**"I would do the same," Ginny whispered, her arms wrapping around herself.**

**"I believe that if I asked you to stand still you would…I believe that if I wished it of you…I believe you would be able to stand there and let me die…"**

**"How can you say that?" Ginny asked, a tear coming to her eye, " I would die trying to save you, just as you nearly did for me three years ago."**

**"I know, Ginny. It's different though…Hermione is my common sense and Ron is my guy friend…Ginny…you're the person who can save me…If I ask you to let me die, don't try to take it on…" **

**"How can you ask this of me?" she shouted, standing to her full height.**

**"I know how you feel about me, Ginny. I absolutely know! You've felt for me since your first year at Hogwarts! Promise me you wont interfere, promise me Ginny!"**

**"I can't…you're right…that's why I just- I can't…"**

**"Ginny, you have to do this for me. I couldn't ask this of anyone else, because no one else understands…no one else knows. Please promise me…Trust me Ginny, I will always be with you…even if I'm physically gone…trust I will never truly leave you…but promise me."**

**"I-I promise you," Ginny began, "I promise you, if that is your wish."**

**Harry pulled the hair from her face and put it behind her ear. **

**"Seal your promise," Harry insisted, taking her hand. Furiously Ginny pressed her lips against his, tears pouring from her eyes. The kiss turned soft until all they were doing was embracing each other under the sunset. Harry felt a cold wind flow around him, and he heard Sirius' words come to his ear.**

**"Even if I'm physically gone trust I will never leave you," Sirius' voice whispered to Harry. Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath as Ginny softly nuzzled her head in the crook of his neck, tears still softly falling from her eyes. **

**"Trust I will never leave you…" Sirius' voice whispered as the winds roared harder, "I could never leave you…Harry, I love you…" **


	4. Chapter Four

"**Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Ronald, your letters are in!" **

Harry lifted his envelope from Mrs. Weasley's hand, only to nearly drop it. It was extremely heavy. He opened it and two badges fell out.

**One read: Prefect**

**The other read: D.A. (chief assistance) **

**Hermione gasped at her own letter, where two badges fell out.**

**One read: Prefect**

**The other read: D.A. (Advisor)**

**Ron waved his letter around, dancing in particularly odd motions.**

**"What is wrong with you, Ronald?" Hermione asked, restraining her laughter.**

**"I'm not prefect this year…and I didn't get one of those D.A. badges either. That means I'm a normal student in school, and I'm a normal student in the D.A. Fred! George! You guys can come back to school now! I'm not prefect anymore!"**

**"Is Hermione still one?" Fred yelled from the other room.**

**"Yeah," Ron answered.**

**"Nope, not yet," George answered. The three teenagers heard Mrs. Weasley mumble something as the twins yelled in shock. It was apparent they had been slapped. **

**"All of our school supplies are at school already?" Hermione questioned, rereading her letter.**

**"That's what mine says too," Harry mumbled.**

**"Mine doesn't say that," Ron shouted smiling, "Hah! Again, I'm normal!" He once again went into dancing fits.**

**Ginny, who had silently been unnoticed had sat down, a shining badge in her hand.**

**"What's wrong, Ginny?" Hermione asked, nudging the ginger headed girl. **

**"I'm a…I'm the…I'm a young member of the D.A." She said turning the badge to admire it.**

**"I didn't get one!" Ron shouted happily, once again dancing, "HEY, WAIT A MINUTE! THEY SENT ME A PAPER BADGE THAT SAYS THAT I'M A TRAINEE! I'M NOT EVEN A MEMBER!" He threw down his letter and stalked off, huffing and puffing the whole way. **

**"Ronald!" Hermione shouted walking after him, waving his letter in the way.**

**Harry took Ginny's badge from her hand and pinned it to her shirt. Ginny smiled sadly remembering her promise, but stood up to give Harry a quick hug.**

**"I'm so happy," she whispered, "I can't believe Dumbledore thinks I'm good enough to be an actual member." **

**Two mischevious ginger head twins cleared their throats from the doorway and Ginny jerked back from Harry.**

**"I thought nothing happened," Fred taunted.**

**"That's what I thought, too," George commented. **

**"Nothing did!" Ginny shouted, running after the twins. Harry just smiled and leaned back against the table that was behind him. **

**"Good job," Mrs. Weasley said smiling, "I'm so proud of you…" **

**Harry looked out the window and saw his reflection. Only standing behind him in his reflection was his mother and father, their hands on his shoulders. **

**"I'm proud, too," his mother whispered as the sound of Mrs. Weasley's humming filled his ears. Harry reached out to the mirror to touch his mother, but when he touch it her image rippled as if he had lightly touched water, and she disappeared. **

**Authors Note: I know, a lot of Ginny and Harry moments, but they'll get less frequent when they get to school, which is nearing…Haha, you'll have to read to uncover my evil plan! ;) hcadored**


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